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A Runner From Every State!

Some runners “collect states” with a goal in mind to run a marathon in all fifty states. The Kalamazoo Marathon took this idea and turned it on it’s head—the goal of our 50-State Challenge is to get a registrant from each of the fifty states (plus DC) to run our marathon.

To entice runners, we award the first registrant from each state with a new pair of New Balance running shoes, free race entry, a free meal ticket, and access to their own VIP tent at Tent City on race day. Winners must be present to collect; shoes, reimbursement of registration fee, and meal ticket will be awarded in person only.

This challenge is possible due to the generosity of our 50-State Challenge sponsors, the Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport and New Balance.

How it Works

We update the map every week on Monday at noon (eastern time). Check the map and see if your state is still available, if it is, sign up right away to be the winner from your state. It’s that easy!

We can’t tell you if a state is still available in between our Monday postings — that’s part of the challenge — our challenge is to get all 50 states and your challenge is to be the first registrant from your state. Good luck!

Please note, the 50-State Challenge applies only to the full Marathon race event.